


scarred fire

by sleeponrooftops



Series: raising webhead: a parenting guide, attempted by the science boyfriends [37]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-13
Updated: 2013-07-13
Packaged: 2017-12-19 09:03:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/881984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeponrooftops/pseuds/sleeponrooftops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tensions rise as Johnny confronts Peter about the future of their group’s friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	scarred fire

_Eight months later._

_June, 2023_

The four of them are at the park late Tuesday afternoon, Peter and Wade on the swings while Johnny tries to convince Flash to let him high five him with a fiery hand a few feet away in the grass.  Wade nudges Peter, shrugging, before he says, “Just tell her you like her, man.”

 

“Yeah, but she’s Flash’s friend,” Peter mumbles, kicking at the sand, “And I think he likes her.  I don’t wanna make him mad.”

 

“Then tell Flash you like her.  Dude, you have limited options here.”

 

“I could just do nothing.”

 

“Yeah, I know all about that,” Wade mutters, and Peter looks over at him, confused.

 

“What do you mean?” he asks.

 

Wade is silent for a few seconds before shaking his head and getting off the swing.  “Nothing, webhead,” he says, “I’ll be back.”

 

“Smoking’s bad for you,” Peter says as he walks away, but Wade just gives him the finger over his shoulder and keeps walking, so Peter rolls his eyes, though he’s grinning.  “Johnny, stop!” he yells when he finally sees Johnny and Flash, and Johnny cackles, falling onto his back.  Peter gets off the swings and heads for the park.  Flash gives Johnny a playful shove before jumping to his feet and jogging after him.

 

After a while, Flash ditches them to swing wildly, going as high as he can and then launching himself in the air.  Peter climbs up onto the top of one of the structures, bringing his knees to his chest and leaning his chin there, just hanging out until Johnny comes up to join him.  “Hey,” Peter says, bumping shoulders with him, “You okay?  You’ve been kind of quiet lately.”

 

“Yeah,” Johnny says softly, and they fall silent for a while, just sitting there.  Flash wanders off to the nearby pond, throwing rocks and looking at frogs, and they laugh when he nearly falls in, swearing loudly.

 

“Johnny,” Peter sighs afterward, bumping shoulders again, “Talk to me.  I’m your best friend, man.”

 

“Are you?” he snaps, looking over at him, and Peter frowns at the anger in his expression.

 

“What are you talking about?  Of course I am,” he says, “Dude, what’s going on?”

 

“You know, Peter, _I’m_ supposed to be your best friend.  I was the first person you ever met after you went to live with your dads.  I don’t _have_ any other friends, I never have, but you have Flash and—and _Wade_.”

 

“Flash and Wade are your friends, too, Johnny,” Peter says.

 

Johnny barks out a laugh, shaking his head.  “No, they’re _your_ friends that _you_ made, and they just put up with me.”

 

“Dude,” Peter says sharply, looking at him in disbelief, “What the hell?  You and I met Wade at the same time.  I only met Flash first cos he was in my class.  They’re your friends, too.”

 

“It doesn’t even matter,” Johnny mutters, starting to get up, but Peter grabs at him, hauling him back down.

 

“Don’t just walk away,” he says, glaring at him, “You’re my _best friend_ , Johnny.  You always have been, but Wade and Flash are my friends, too.”

 

“This isn’t about Flash!” Johnny breaks into a yell, ripping out of Peter’s hold and walking away from him, climbing down the structure.

 

Peter watches him for a second before getting up and shooting a web toward a structure nearby, swinging his way down.  He catches up with Johnny on a lower level as Wade is making his way back toward them.  “Hey!” Peter shouts, stepping in front of Johnny, “Stop it!  Tell me what’s going on,” he says, dropping his voice and trying to open up his expression so Johnny will talk to him.

 

“You always want to hang out with _him_ ,” Johnny spits, getting in his face, “You invite me and Flash along, but then you never do anything with us.  You’re always talking to _him_ and making us go everywhere with him.  And your dads are right, he’s a _scumbag_.”

 

“They _never_ called him that,” Peter hisses, “I know what he does, Johnny, I know he’s not the greatest guy ever, but he’s our friend, he’s _my_ friend, and he’s not a _scumbag_.”

 

“Whatever, your dads, my parents, it makes no difference, they’re right either way.”

 

Johnny shoves Peter back, and he stumbles into the railing, looking at him in shock.  “Hey!” Wade calls, jogging the rest of the way over.  Before Johnny can storm off, Wade jumps up onto the level and grabs his arm, jerking him back.  “The fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demands, shaking Johnny’s arm when he doesn’t answer.

 

“Wade, stop,” Peter says, frowning.  Johnny leans forward, glaring hatred at Wade before he smirks and spits, fire leaping out and igniting Wade’s mask.  “ _Johnny_!” Peter screams, running forward.

 

Wade manages to get out of the mask before it does any serious damage, but Johnny’s right there with his words, “Ah, there’s scarface.”

 

“ _Johnny_!”

 

“Oh, fuck off, Peter,” Johnny says, glaring at him, “This is none of your business.”

 

Peter steps in between them before they can advance on each other, holding out a hand on either side, and Wade stops immediately at the same time Johnny smacks his hand away.  “Johnny—”

 

“You’re always there!” Johnny shouts past Peter, “What are you gonna do now that your _boyfriend_ won’t let you get at me, huh?”

 

“Johnny!”

 

“Guys!” Flash calls as he approaches, “Guys, stop it, what the hell?”

 

“Back up,” Peter says to Johnny, lowering the hand he has in front of Wade and turning to him, “Just stop.  We can talk about this.”

  
“There’s _nothing_ to talk about,” Johnny says, not looking at Wade, who still hasn’t moved, though he glares steadily at Johnny, his jaw clenched tight.  “You can either have me or him as a best friend, Peter, not both of us.  I’m sick of this asshole being part of our group.  It’s _weird_ , anyway, hanging out with us when he’s four years older than you.  He’s just a _fucking pervert_.”

 

Wade erupts at the same time Peter starts shouting, and Flash sprints forward as Johnny swings.  His fist, intended for Wade, connects with the side of Peter’s face, and Peter staggers backward, shocked by the impact, and his foot leaves solid ground before he’s careening through the air and Flash is yelling.

 

The pain comes belatedly, after Peter has already landed and is stunned, head throbbing, and then it lances up through is arm, and he starts screaming, trying to get up and failing.  “ _Shit_ , Peter,” Wade gasps, turning, and Johnny lands a punch in his back.  Wade spins around, grabbing at Johnny’s wrist and twisting it back until Johnny shouts, and he drops him to the ground before he does anymore than sprain it.  He clambers off the structure, falling to his knees beside Peter, who isn’t screaming anymore, but tears are flooding down his face, and he’s shaking.  “Come on,” Wade says, helping him into a sitting position, and Peter cries out when his arm moves.  “Just—just don’t look,” Wade says, leaning around him and swearing at the state of Peter’s arm.

 

“Is it broken?” Peter asks, building hysteria in his voice.

 

“Yeah, it’s—it’s pretty broken,” he says, and then he squeezes his eyes shut, blocking out the bone and blood and awful angle.

 

“ _Wade_ ,” his name breaks in Peter’s mouth, and then he’s sobbing, reaching for him with his good hand.

 

“Hey,” he says, grabbing Peter’s good hand and lacing it with his own, squeezing tightly, the other coming around to cup the back of his head, “It’s okay.  It’s _okay_.  I’m gonna call your dads and then an ambulance, okay?  _Peter_.”

 

“Okay,” Peter manages, nodding, “Okay.”

 

Wade leans forward and presses a kiss to his forehead before motioning Flash over and standing only when Flash is kneeling before Peter.  He turns as he’s putting the phone to his ear and sees Johnny getting up.  He starts to move forward, and Wade takes a step, bringing him to a halt.  “You stay the fuck away from him,” he growls, and Johnny just blinks before nodding.

**Author's Note:**

> WOAH.
> 
> Also, sorry I’ve been kind of absent recently. Wednesday, I took the kids—I work at a day camp with special needs kids, I don’t actually have children, although people always think I do, and then I tell them, oh yeah, all twenty-five of them—to Fenway, and then had work—at BJs—that night, so I was exhausted and just crashed. Then, Thursday was Warped, and I’m just getting really old, guys. When I was waiting for Black Veil Brides, everyone was, like, fourteen and had braces and the boys sounded like girls, and they were all pumped, and I just wanted to go to bed. The dads near Katie and I were awesome, though. Yesterday, I should have been around, but I had camp and then BJs, and then _Pacific Rim_ because my dad and I have been waiting for this movie for months, AND IT WAS AWESOME. So yeah, I pretty much wake up, go to work, come home for an hour, go to work again, go to sleep, and do it all over again—that’s my summer, and it was kind of hectic the past few days, but hi, I’m here, a little late, but here. Don’t forget to leave your thoughts!


End file.
